What it’s like flower farming in July
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- čas přidán 28. 08. 2024
- This is a tough month for many of us in the northern hemisphere. Blazing temperatures, high pest pressure, and disease running rampant. After 2 years of hating July, I slowed down my July this season to allow myself to focus primarily on getting ready for fall.
This week, I take you behind the scenes on what that looks like! There's alot of not so fun activities but then some fun stuff.
This is my first sponsored video and I'm proud to be talking about a floral toolbelt that I've been using and loving. It's a floral toolbelt made by a flower farmer for flower famers.
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Videos mentioned:
Alternative to composting: Bokashi • Alternative to compost...
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You are such an inspiration! You have a young baby, work full time, and still manage to kick ass on your flower farm. I am going to totally start taking advantage of smaller blocks of time instead of thinking I need hours set aside to get stuff done. I broke my wrist a couple of weeks ago and have been kinda down about it because I can't get done everything I want to, but you remind me that it doesn't have to happen all at once! Thanks, Jess!
Aww I'm so sorry to hear about your wrist. It definitely is a bit of a setback but every little bit of work ads up! There's a Chinese proverb around "accumulate little, multiplies to alot" and I really do believe it. I'll also admit that when you DO get stretches of hours (like I did yesterday) of course you will get more done at once but that is such a luxury these days! I hope your wrist heals quickly!
My grandparents had huge vegetable gardens when I was growing up (70s-80s). In the fall/winter when sections were empty, they would trench the rows and add their food waste directly into the trenches and cover them. They would have the winter/ early spring to break down before they planted. Their soil was amazing, and they grew tons of vegetables. I didn't know that method had a name, they were ahead of their time for sure. Oh, and my grandpa didn't like to turn the compost. I'm going to do the same this year. Thanks for showing the "dirty" side of gardening, doing small chores often is better than waiting until they become big chores. Our climate is so mild we have weeds year-round. I go out twice a week and tackle areas. Usually if I'm on it early in the year they don't get too bad.
Burying fresh food waste into the ground is a great way to feed the soil! It just takes a little bit more time and it's so smart to do that in the winter. The risk this time of year is that animals will dig it up. The bokashi method "ferments" the food and apparently that deters animals and rodents. But if you're able to do it without rodents bothering you, then I totally would!!
Regarding turning the compost, I dont blame your grandpa. It is an epic pain without machinery. I did it before the tractor and a small pile gets heavy real quick, which ended up deterring me from ever doing it. Turning and allowing air into the pile helps break down the compost faster and helps prevent bad bacteria from developing. Bokashi is an anaerobic process but regular composting is aerobic. The presence or lack of presence of air in each method, respectively, may create harmful bacteria. Hopefully this helps!
I particularly love these day in a week videos!
I'm so glad to hear that! I think I'll turn monthly "farm tour" videos into this type of style going forward!
Your videos just keep getting better! And I just ordered the toolbelt, so happy to find a less expensive alternative. Thank you!
Aww thank you, I was pretty proud of the end result of this video! And yay!! I'm glad you'll be able to use a floral toolbelt. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine!
The tool belt is awesome!! Thanks Jeric for the garden tool share 👍🌻💚
Aww thanks Laurie! Glad you're enjoying the purchase!
It looks like so much work doing these videos but they are really good and an honest look at what farming and mom-ing and working all require
Thanks for recognizing this Melissa! I am enjoying it and it's definitely leveling up my editing experience!
I ordered your tool belt. Thank you for the link!😊
Aww yay! I hope you like it too!
I ❤️ your videos! You are the complete opposite of me so ALWAYS learn A LOT!!! Thank you so very much for your content. 🥰❤️💐
Aww thank you for this. I am always appreciative when others are open to different perspectives. Appreciate you watching and your support :)
OMG the Koran fried chicken looks so good!!! I know you are not a food channel but PLEASE post the recipe. Great info on all the work flower farming....enjoy all your videos.
It was sooo good! It's an America's Test Kitchen recipe. This is the link- www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/8885-korean-fried-chicken-wings
If you can't access it, shoot me an email at hello@bareflowerfarm.com and I'll pdf it for you!
25:30 I know you are keeping it small, but man, that field has so much potential! Can't wait for the future💚
Haha, I honestly have no desire to expand it big. This small size is already so much work!
Bokashi is wonderful ❤
Yes!!! We love it 😊
I've experimented and harvested scoops just as they color up, no petals open yet. And they continue to open after too in the vase 😊
I've started harvesting earlier and earlier and am noticing this too!! I'm going to start harvesting at the EARLIEST stage! :D
Hi, great video. We could do with some of that heat here in the UK, it's only 15C atm in Yorkshire.
Btw you seem to misunderstand the Chelsea Chop. This is done Before the plant flowers, to make it flower later with many more branches and usually smaller flowers. It's basically like a larger version of pinching out your perennials. That's why it's done at the end of May, by July the plants would already be flowering and it would be too late. It's not done after flowering.
Looking forward to seeing the new plugs go in xx
Thank you for clarifying this! It's funny because I think a bunch of us started using this terminology for chopping anything back but this makes sense! Appreciate you taking the time to educate me!
PS- if only we could exchange pieces of our weather...
I love love love these work videos
This is not a criticism - please take as feedback - the music is very distracting
I so enjoy the quiet focused nature of your videos and find them extremely informative and
relaxing without a soundtrack
Thank you for sharing and showing your work
Thanks for this feedback! I always appreciate constructive feedback and will take it into consideration ☺
@@bareflowerfarm I’m binging your channel. It’s fantastic. Thank you!
I would LOVE to see more about how you implement bokashi on your farm
I got so excited seeing you that I wasn’t patient enough to hear that you already have a video on the topic. Excited to watch that one next
Haha! Let me know if you have any questions. It's become really obviously that the areas in my field where I've been burying the food waste are producing very productive plants. I'm doing a farm tour for this weekend's video and talk a little bit about this!
Hahaha I am just your more efficient farming self...we all have one of those somewhere. 😅
I use a galaxy-themed fanny pack for my toolbelt. Found it in my in-laws garage. Just in case you were wondering, I carry twine, cell phone, seed packets, snippers and organza bags lol😉 I will have to put the leather toolbelt on my Christmas wish list!
Love it! Fanny packs are the best, if only I kept mine from the90s 🤣
Thanks for introducing us to some new (to me anyway) varieties of lilies and scabiosa. That Korean fried chicken looks mouth-watering! What a good idea to fry it outside. Your hubby looks like a pro.
Lol Eric is a chef by training! He better be a pro 😅
@@bareflowerfarm LOL. I didn't know that!
Thank you for a really nice video. Your property is gorgeous! Chase is amazing, chasing off all those deer. I have a lot of deer too, the bucks are super aggressive, they sometimes come up our patio in the back (we are still trying to perfect our deer prevention) , I was also pleasantly surprised the lisianthus planted on my patio were left untouched. Do you cover your lisianthus when it rains? If so, what type of cover do you use? I noticed that the roseann brown (?) got more rain damage than the lighter peachy ones. So, I was thinking maybe I should plan to cover them next year?
love my floret tool belt
I'm sure it's awesome like all of her other products! :)
We used to have that same Yanmar!
I put pine needles along the perimeter of my garden fence (300’) on the inside and out. It keeps down on having to weed eat along the fence and as you mow it chops some of the needles and helps it breakdown into the soil faster. It also helps deter slugs from crossing into the garden! I cover all of my beds with it too!
Those Scoops are beautiful! You picked gorgeous colors! 💚
Nice!! I was actually nervous about getting a Yanmar because it doesn't hold its resale value as well as a Kubota or John Deere but you get so much more for the $$ you pay. What happened to the Yanmar that you owned?
Last year, i had leaves that accidentally blew to the perimeter of my garden fence and I experienced the same benefit! I DEFINITELY want to do something similar. Do you know if the slugs are deterred because of the pine needles? Or bc it's less cover when they cross?
@@bareflowerfarm Sold the Yanmar because we already had/have a jd 1023e and bought the Yanmar for the backhoe only. Had to do a bunch of work on the farm and it was actually less expensive to buy one than rent one for a year. We lost mayyyybe 20% by reselling it, but saved a lot versus renting or paying a company to do the work!
I use pine needles pretty much everywhere because the slugs don’t like how sharp they are. It’s uncomfortable so they mostly stay away. I find maybe one a week in my dahlia row but I am okay with that. I was going to try the beer trap but it attracts wasps as well and I’m allergic. 😬
The pine needles look so pretty after I water (hand water only over here too) and the green of the plants really pops!
EDIT: I forgot to add that if you have a lot of slugs you can wet the ground, lay a board/lumber on it and leave it there. The slugs will gravitate to the underside! Have two and swap them out once or twice a week. The one you bring out of the garden can be leaned up against a tree or fence around the property line and they will find somewhere to be!
Jess, thanks for speaking on pathways making. I wanted to hear from experienced grower.. and you sure are!
I grew TGW. Pincushion and they are 3' tall. Crazy productive. Q?Why the Scoops? Do they perennial eyes in your area?
So many ways to make pathways, this happens to have worked for us!
I chose scoop scabiosa bc they're supposed to be crazy productive and produce bigger heads. Not sure I'm seeing bigger heads necessarily but the stems are definitely sturdier which is nice. I don think these will perennialize but Fama will!
Just a little thing. The Chelsea chop, is not to encourage a second flush, it is to delay the first flush and get successions. This is why we do it in early May.
For example: if we chop 50% of a crop, such as sedum, or aster. We will get a first flush and a few weeks later, a another first flush, from the 50% that we chopped in May.
Yes! Someone else said the same thing. Thanks for taking the time to explain. Do you know if there's a terminology to prune back for fall blooms?
Not that I’m aware of. I think the weather plays a role in getting a second flush or not, but you have reminded me to give it another go!
Double Fantasy and Accolade are just so gorgeous! I'm bummed I missed out on buying those. Is there a time frame I should be looking at to see when you might sell them again? Thank you 😊 💓
I’m still deciding what I’ll be buying for next year! No more doubles for the rest of the year as the time to maturity is too long. I would know in late fall if I’ll carry any next year ☺️
Hi Jesse, do you have a video on growing lilies? Specifically calla lilies? Thanks so much
I don't yet! Specifically bc I'm still trying to figure out how to get longer stems, but I will once i figure it out!
Yay I just found your channel I love the info you are sharing. Also, have you considered a creeping thyme as your boarder? So inspiring!
Thank you! I actually haven't with creeping thyme! It flowers low, no?
@@bareflowerfarm It does flower for a short time. I have it in my veggie garden path and it works great so far. It's also SUPER easy to propagate. So no need to spend millions on plants.
@@AnnaKincaidthat’s great to know! I’ll have to look into that some more!
Loved the video! Could you tell me if you made the black row hoops yourself or purchased them from somewhere? Thank you!
Thanks! This is actually cheap irrigation piping. It comes in a long roll of 100ft for around $35. You can then easily cut it with a knife
It's been out for 2 winters and onto its second summer. I'm surprised at how well it's kept up. Would not recommend for winter if you're in a climate that gets snow, but more than good for shade and frost cloth!
I’m growing scabiosa from seed this year. Still waiting for blooms so we will see. Where did you purchase the scoop scabiosa? Wondering if I could purchase less than 100.
I got these from Farmer Baileys and they actually come in half trays of 50! i was going to double next year but I think I will stick to just 2 trays and try to keep all of them alive. I'm getting overwhelmed with just 30 plugs lol!!
how do you spell the tulip type
flower?
Great video… I love Chance!
Also, what do you do for your pathways? They look great. Do you just put down wood chips or do you put cardboard down first? I have “living pathways” and I’m not in love.
Also, I really appreciate these videos. I work away from home and am also committed to fitness. You motivate me that I can grow and sell flowers while not being a full time flower farmer!
Hi Linda! I know you're super busy and have a demanding job. I think someone with your acumen likely understands the importance of saying "no" to say "yes" to the things that matter. You can likely do pretty well laser focusing on what and where you sell! I'm happy to talk to you about it if you ever want to bounce ideas off of someone.
Regarding the pathways, a layer of cardboard was put down in year 1. It's not enough. You have to do it at least 2 more times and pile on the woodchips. It's an ongoing effort and I'll say that this is the FIRST year I'm seeing progress where the effort may be worth it. I prioritized one part of the field that has aggressive dock that spreads by rhizomes by ripping it out and cardboarding and chipping it earlier in April. That made a world of difference.
All this to say, living pathways are work. Ask me next year how I feel lol!
@@bareflowerfarmyou’re too kind! I’m glad to see that the patreon group is meeting this Thursday as I was working during the first meeting, so I’m hoping to be able to make that!
What are you planting for fall? This is my first fall, last year I shut it down in July.,I planted fall sunflowers, zinnias, and flamingo feather celosia. I have some mahogany splendor that will keep going and regular celosia that has been slow. I got 20 heirloom plugs to try. I’m zone 8b.
I've got a few things in the works. New seedlings in the ground are marigold, zinnias, snapdragons, and stock quartet (experiment) and mums (also an experiment). Things that are starting to flower and will continue to in the fall are dahlias, scabiosa, ageratum, cosmos and hopefully some aster. I also continue to succession plant lilies and callas. Now that I'm typing it out, it's quite a bit!
Did you mention flowers for the food pantry? Will you have a video on preparing for that?
I'm going to try!!
@bareflowerfarm ok, even a post would be great. I've thought about that, but wasn't sure about vases vs. Not in water, delivering to the pantry,etc.. and I'm sweating in PA as well! I just can't get over this heat, this early!
I noticed that you pulled out the lily stems - do the bulbs come out easily with it too? I planted a variety bag that my plant bestie gave me and I wanted to transfer/transplant them into a different location since I know their colors now. Do you over winter the bulbs or can I just put them back into the ground in my desired location..? I just don’t want to kill them since they were gifts. ❤️🙏🏼
Sometimes the bulbs come out with the stems but many times they break off. I actually typically treat my lilies as annuals because I grow so many of them. I think you can take them out and replant. This is assuming you kept some leaves on and allowed the bulb to regenerate.
Where did you get the cute overalls? They look so lightweight and comfy! My denim overalls are too heavy and hot!
These were gifted to me! The brand is Dovetail and I absolutely love them. Pricey but great quality!
Thank you!
This is really good information, have a flower side huzzle like you but not in your scale yet. How to find customers and the big question: how many stems to grow when you not know how many you are going to sell.. year 2 here in Ålesund Norway
Hi there! You're asking the billion dollar question- it's the chicken/egg question. Here's my high level advice:
How many stems to grow:
1) Have a general goal for how many bouquets you want to sell per week and how many stems would fit into that bouquet. Work backwards then to plan the crops you need and the number of crops. Here's a video on that czcams.com/video/vKntlR_L7i4/video.htmlsi=sKsSrY33pnOFxc0h
2) The above advice is a very "zoomed in approach". A giant struggle for everyone in the beginning is having consistent, quality, and quantity of blooms. You'll want to "zoom out" to see high level when your flowers will be blooming. If you only focus on #1, you may miss the forest from the trees. This video shows how I do this- I set a goal for 2024 and work backwards to how I would achieve that monthly. It is never going to be 100% the real plan but it's a great starting point to make sure you're doing the right stuff! czcams.com/video/CClijfOs4eY/video.htmlsi=dB-RLjJp8SZ4UwWI
3) Finding your customers can be achieved a variety of ways. You can start by partnering with small businesses or utilizing Facebook to cultivate a local following.
PS- if you're looking for more content on this, I have a newsletter that comes out every other Wednesday and it discusses the business side of flower farming in case you are interested. bit.ly/3yitpiI